• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bosh, Raptors snap two-game losing skid

Nov 9, 2008 - 10:43 PM By Derek Smith PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Chris Bosh scored 30 points Sunday afternoon to lead the Toronto Raptors to an 89-79 come-from-behind victory over the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Bosh scored 14 of those game-high points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto snap a two-game slide. The Raptors held Charlotte to 37.0 percent shooting just two days after allowing the Hawks to shoot 54.3 percent from the floor in a blowout loss.

"We recognized the situation that we were in," Bosh said. "We had to tighten up on the defensive end and just keep working the ball on offense."

Toronto trailed 74-72 after a three from Jason Richardson with 7:58 to play. From there, it was all Toronto.

Bosh tied the score and then Andrea Bargnani's 3-pointer gave the Raptors the lead for good.

"I thought (Bargnani) came in defensively and offensively and gave us a big lift," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said.

Bosh was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring the next nine points of the game. Bargnani drained another three to cap a 17-0 run.

"Our guys made the game easy for Chris," Mitchell said. "He rolled down low and made four or five easy baskets late. We saw how they were playing us and felt that with our shooters on the floor that something would be open."

The Bobcats ended their 7:03 scoring drought on a D. J. Augustin basket as a result of a goaltending call and managed just five points in the final seven minutes of action.

Toronto made 11-of-20 shots in the fourth quarter including 6-of-7 by Bosh. The 14 points by Bosh was more than the total scored by Charlotte in the final quarter.

"I recognized a couple of coverages that they were doing," Bosh said. "Especially with Andrea (Bargnani) I was able to put the defense at a disadvantage. They were switching and I was able to start rolling (to the basket). We rolled the small guy down and that made it tough for them defensively."

Charlotte trailed most of the first half, but took the lead on a basket from Raymond Felton. Augustin closed the half with the last five Bobcat points for a 45-40 edge at the intermission.

"I told our guys at halftime that Charlotte was shooting 40 percent and that our defense was good," Mitchell said. "We just weren't shooting the ball well. I felt as long as we could continue to play defense like that and make some shots."

Jason Richardson gave Charlotte its largest lead of the game at 58-47 with 7:12 to play in the third. However they were never able to put away the Raptors.

"They did a real good job defending both of those guys (Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace) and with Emeka Okafor being under the weather, we didn't throw it in the post," Charlotte coach Larry Brown said. "We've got to give them credit. Chris Bosh was phenomenal and they were able to find the open guys."

Bosh brought them within a point, 64-63, late in the third before Adam Morrison's 3-pointer gave the Bobcats a four-point cushion heading to the final quarter.

The Bobcats were led by Augustin's 14 points off the bench. Charlotte was again outrebounded with the Raptors holding a 44-36 edge.

In addition to the 30 points from Bosh, the Raptors picked up 18 from Bargnani off the bench.